Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, IA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $1,769 in Burlington, IA, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burlington, IA and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Burlington, IA and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,769 per month in Burlington, IA vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Burlington, IA $1,769
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $2,675 per month in Burlington, IA vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Burlington, IA $2,675
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $3,580 per month in Burlington, IA vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Burlington, IA $3,580
Budapest $3,483

Burlington, IA costs about 8% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Burlington, IA and Budapest sit above the global median – Burlington, IA by 31%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.35 $11.35

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-19.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-3.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 $8.84

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-14.75%

Cappuccino

$4.74 $4.74

$3.46 Ft 1,117

36.99%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.07 Ft 669

-5.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.77 Ft 572

14.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.80 Ft 1,229

20.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.16 Ft 374

-30.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.85 Ft 598

52.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.40 Ft 776

80.83%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-26.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 $11.37

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-0.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$6.87 Ft 2,221

73.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 $14.20

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-2.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.88 Ft 607

113.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.14 Ft 693

-7.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.30 Ft 744

100.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$4.04 Ft 1,304

15.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.02 Ft 329

168.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$0.99 Ft 320

162.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.58 Ft 510

-2.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.70 Ft 225

194.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$8.03 Ft 2,594

1.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 $16.29

$6.18 Ft 1,997

163.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.24 Ft 401

52.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.06 Ft 666

10.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.59 Ft 513

22.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 $15.76

$27.52 Ft 8,893

-42.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 $4.67

$3.43 Ft 1,110

36.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.33 Ft 431

-23.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.19 $22.19

$20.45 Ft 6,607

8.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.93 Ft 624

-51.30%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.7K $22.7K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-21.99%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.0K $25.0K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-28.06%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$184 $184

$175 Ft 56.4K

5.45%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$47.16 $47.16

$23.62 Ft 7,631

99.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$23.60 Ft 7,625

150.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-38.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$10.31 Ft 3,333

15.62%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,210 $1,210

$535 Ft 172.9K

126.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K $13.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-20.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.72 $44.72

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-55.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 $30.53

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-29.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$112 Ft 36.1K

-22.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.90 $37.90

$119 Ft 38.4K

-68.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 $754

$832 Ft 268.8K

-9.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$629 Ft 203.3K

12.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 $1,172

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-26.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

6.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,026 $1,026

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-82.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,033 $1,033

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-73.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,446 $4,446

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

159.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

6.45

1.40%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, IA

$707 40%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 11% $78

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7%

Budapest

$262 16% 28.5% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 23.6% $69

Eating Out

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 4.6% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 86.8% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 35% $23

Getting Around

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 32.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $754 in Burlington, IA versus $832 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 160% higher in Burlington, IA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Burlington, IA versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $366 in Burlington, IA vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

01:28 1:28 AM

7 h ahead of Burlington, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Burlington, IA Budapest 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, IA
Budapest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Burlington, IA vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Burlington, IA is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,654 per month in Burlington, IA and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,210 per month in Burlington, IA and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Burlington, IA at $1,769. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Burlington, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.